Flames-Canucks Preview

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Prior to getting fired after one season with the Vancouver Canucks, John Tortorella didn’t mince words when assessing the club’s veteran core.

But fast-forward one year and Tortorella is a distant memory, while that ”stale” nucleus of older players – the one that led Vancouver to two Presidents’ Trophies and within a game of winning the 2011 Stanley Cup before stumbling badly in 2013-14 – has the Canucks back in the postseason and buoyed at the chance for another run.

”For us personally, it was tough to miss the playoffs last year,” defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. ”It was just really tough to sit on the sidelines and watch. A team that was so used to being in the playoffs, and not only being there, but competing, we were hungry. We wanted to get back and do whatever it took.”

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What it took for Vancouver, which opens its first-round series with the Calgary Flames at home on Wednesday, were bounce-back seasons from several veterans.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin returned to form after tough offensive seasons to earn 76 and 73 points, respectively, Alex Burrows stayed relatively healthy to score 18 goals, and Jannik Hansen found new life on a line with rookies Bo Horvat and Ronalds Kenins.

On defense, Alexander Edler put an NHL-worst minus-39 season behind him to lead the Canucks with a plus-13 rating, while Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis battled through injuries to contribute down the stretch.

”You have to believe in yourselves to play this game at a high level,” Bieksa said. ”This year we’ve been tested, we’ve overcome a lot of adversity (and) we’ve bounced back.”

The Flames bought into what coach Bob Hartley was saying this season, no matter how much it hurt.

The Flames led the NHL in blocked shots this season, putting limbs and sticks in front of an average of 19 shots per game.

That’s a significant number of pucks their goaltenders didn’t face. That’s also a lot of bruises.

”You’d think they were goalies in a paintball tournament,” Hartley said. ”They’re black and blue all over the body.”

The Flames are a playoff team for the first time in six years because Hartley had them believing they were a better team than everyone thought.

They did what Hartley asked in order to prove it, even if it meant pain. That takes a master motivator.

It’s why Hartley is thought of as a candidate for this year’s Jack Adams trophy that goes to the NHL’s coach of the year.

”Don’t talk about this. It’s not important,” Hartley said when asked about the award. ”The most important thing I want acknowledged is the commitment of my players.”

Rookie Canucks coach Willie Desjardins brought in fresh systems and a renewed belief in the club’s leaders, while the players were determined to make amends for a lost season.

”As a person, whatever you do, when people don’t expect you to do good I think you want to show them that they’re wrong,” Daniel Sedin said. ”No one expected us to make the playoffs. We weren’t supposed to have bounce-back seasons, but we all showed that we can still play.”

Other parts of the retool included Ryan Kesler getting dealt to the Anaheim Ducks for Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa, with Ryan Miller and Radim Vrbata, who led Vancouver with 31 goals, added in free agency.

”I’ve always felt like we have a very tight group in here,” said goalie Eddie Lack who will start Game 1 ahead of Miller. ”I feel like we’re a more happy group this year and everyone seems to be buying into roles.”

Like the Canucks, the young Flames weren’t expected to be in this position back in October. Calgary is making its first playoff appearance since 2009, with the Sedins the only holdovers from the teams’ last post-season meeting, which the Flames won back in 2004.

With that rivalry set to be renewed, the Canucks and their veteran core are eager to show there’s still plenty of energy left.

”We’ve been questioned a lot over the years. We were really disappointed last year. No question about that,” said Henrik Sedin. ”(Motivation) has got to come from inside. You can’t look at what other people are saying. It was a tough summer after last year with what happened. We came back and we felt good about this team.”

Notes: Vancouver went 2-2-0 against Calgary in the regular season, with the Flames picking up an extra point in the series thanks to an overtime loss in December. … The Canucks have lost six straight home playoff games.